


Let The Cat Out of The Bag

by TheCarrot



Series: Panther Poe [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Animal Transformation, Boys In Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Fur and Teeth and Claws, M/M, Were-Cats in Space, nekkid Poe, oh my!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25532713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCarrot/pseuds/TheCarrot
Summary: Poe glares at him but doesn’t answer, just throws his tops into Finn’s hands, takes a deep breath and the next thing Finn can even register, besides the warmth and the smell of the clothes in his hands is-Cat.Big cat.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Series: Panther Poe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850056
Comments: 13
Kudos: 66
Collections: FinnPoe Week 2020





	Let The Cat Out of The Bag

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Conservation of Mass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7513315) by [imaginary_golux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux). 



> So a while ago I read the amazing fic 'Conservation of Mass' by imaginary_golux and it inspired this! (I asked permission first though XD)
> 
> And I got so much help from my friend @0hheytherebigbadwolf That this likely wouldn't exist without her!

“Kriff. Fucking kriffing bantha balls!” 

Poe says it loudly, and with more venom and annoyance than Finn thinks the situation may truly warrant. Sure they’re running through very dense woods in late evening light, in what they hope is the direction of the Falcon, and there may or may not be a dozen or so very angry beings chasing them with sharp pointy knives. And sure, Finn’s blaster is out of charge while Poe’s is lost somewhere behind them along their makeshift path, dropped when one of those said beings managed to almost impale Poe’s shoulder to a tree trunk. 

So, well… maybe Poe’s not to far off on how Finn truly feels about their current state of affairs. 

Finn eyes the bleeding wound on Poe’s arm worriedly as he pushes the older man ahead of him, tugging Poe off to the side when he finally sees an outcropping of rocks surrounded by trees. It’s the best cover Finn has seen so far and he all but hauls Poe off his feet as the the two of them collapse together, panting heavily against a large boulder. 

“We need a plan.” Finn pants, peering around the edge of the tree for their perusers. He can’t see the beings chasing them but knows they’re out there, can hear them and feel the malicious energy coming off of them in the air around him. Its strange, but he’s gotten really good at sensing the black clouds of murderous intent that have been aimed at him through the force lately. Experience Leia will muse at him later.

“I’m open to suggestions.” Poe huffs, clamping a hand around the bleeding wound on his arm and hissing in pain as he does so. “Because as it stands, we have no weapons, no idea where we are, and no-“

Finn glares flatly at him and Poe’s jaw clicks as he shuts up. The younger mans hand is warm where he presses it against the sweaty skin of Poe’s neck before he leans back around the tree again. “Don’t worry, we’ll come up with something.” Finn says and his tone bares no argument.

Poe eyes the back of Finn’s head, small smile playing on his lips at the other mans confident tone. Leave it to Finn to be optimistic about this. Only Poe’s ears perk up for a moment, movement just beyond the boulder they’re leaning against, sounding closer to them then any of the ones in the group chasing them and Poe inhales sharply as it echoes in his ears. 

He’s got a plan, but it sucks. At least… sucks for him anyways. This is not how he wanted Finn to find out about this; Poe didn’t want Finn to find out at all actually. But the pilot can’t see any other option, they’re blaster-less so they can’t shoot their way out of this and he doesn’t want to keep running until they’re too tired to even fight back—

But if anything happens to Finn…

“Okay, I can do this.” He swallows heavily and unclips the bag hanging around his chest and Poe slings it into Finns arms just as this friend turns back to face him.

“What are you-“ Finn starts, frowning down at the bag in his hands before glancing up at the pilot who is already stripping out of his jacket and shirt. Oh-kay…“Um- what did I miss-”

Poe glares at him but doesn’t answer, just throws his tops into Finn’s hands, takes a deep breath and the next thing Finn can even register, besides the warmth and the smell of the clothes in his hands is-

Cat.

Big cat.

Theres no magic puff of smoke, no twisting or gnarling of his body, one moment Poe stands before him, gorgeously half naked and within the next nanosecond…there’s a large, pure black cat, golden eyed and fanged, crouched where he had been. 

A low growling starts in the cat’s throat… in Poe’s throat? Is that Poe? Finn wonders, jaw gaping open unattractively. 

Holy Kriff.

Only the cat- Poe, cat-poe? Finn’s brain buzzes with questions but the cat doesn’t spare a moment to look at him, it’s hunkering down, tail whipping back and forth as it’s muscles shift under jet black fur. Finn doesn’t have the chance to speak, barely has the wherewithal to breathe, because Force — Poe’s gorgeous like this — before one of the small beings chasing them jumps on top of the rock the two of them had been hiding behind. 

Poe is already leaping up to meet it, knocking it back with a frankly terrifying roar and a terribly wonderful show of fangs. 

And Finn just kind of keeps sitting there for a moment. Shock and disbelief colouring his expression, until at last a snarl sounds amidst a new wave of screams; pain and fear permeates the air around him and Finn finally manages to rally himself. He scrambles to his feet, scooping up Poe’s pants and other clothing before scurrying out from behind the boulder. It takes Finn calling out to the Force around the forest to help him find the offbeat trail of their attackers but finally, Finn’s heart stops beating so frantically when he comes into a small clearing to see a large black cat sitting amidst a heap of broken, bleeding beings. 

“Poe?” Finn asks hesitantly, approaches him as slowly as he can.

The black cat whines low and sighs- can cats even sigh, Finn wonders- but then it’s shuffling back, turning away and— and Finn follows after the feline without hesitation. Follows it through some underbrush and over a few fallen trees until they come out at a purple grass lined lake that Poe sinks into with a mournful yowl. The water runs pink off of his fur and Finn watches in a weird sense of detached amusement as Poe dunks his head under the water and shakes; bit’s of what Finn is not looking too close at sliding off it’s teeth and out of his claws. 

As quickly as Poe had turned into the cat, he’s back to his normal self. Standing up in the water on two legs now, golden tanned skin covered in pink water droplets and scrubbing at his mouth with the same face he makes every time someone tricks him into eating a bumbleberry. 

“Gross, so kriffing gross, nasty- fuck.” Poe’s cursing, scooping up water and repeatedly spitting it out. There’s still a smear of off-red blood colouring Poe’s neck and Finn thinks he should probably find it a bit more off putting than he really does. 

Poe spends a few more minutes trying to rinse the taste out of his mouth, sending nervous glances up towards the shore where Finn is waiting with his clothes. The taste of iron is almost enough to distract him from the whirlwind of fear lodging itself in Poe’s chest but as Poe looks closer, Finn doesn’t look freaked out, in fact he looks as casual as he ever does. Doesn’t look angry or scared or any of the other numerous reactions Poe has been expecting on the face of someone who had just seen their friend transform into a predator.

Eventually Poe gets as much blood off of him, and more importantly out of his mouth, as he can, and makes a note to check with Kalonia for a blood test, before he trudges his way back to shore and to Finn.

Finn who gives him an approving nod, almost looking a little forlorn when he hands Poe back his pants and his shirt which the pilot pulls on as fast as his wet skin will allow him.

“So that’s new.” says Finn nonchalantly.

“Can we just not talk about it?” Poe begs quietly as he plops down onto a nearby rock to tug on his boots and as soon as they’re on the older man starts off back into the woods. One good thing about changing he thinks, is the enhanced senses because he now knows the direction the Flacon is in. Would know the scent of that old rust bucket anywhere; the smell of space exhaust and the weird leak under the galley that neither he, Rey nor Chewie have gotten around to fixing. 

“Um, no.” Finn frowns catching up to him easily. “I’m pretty sure we should talk about this.” He sees Poe grimace and he’s not sure if it’s in embarrassment or in annoyance but Finn finds it a bit adorable regardless. “So you turn into a giant pittan-“

“Panther.” The pilot interrupts.

“- a giant panther-”

Poe rolls his eyes, “I’m not giant Finn.” Finn raises an eyebrow at him and he feels the redness start to creep up the back of his neck. “Well I’m not.”

“Poe, you turned into a giant Panther, took out the crazy things that wanted to eat us and then proceeded to dunk yourself into a lake and turn back into a devastatingly attractive naked human.” The ex-trooper finally manages to finish, crossing his arms with an amused look when Poe stumbles over a tree root at his brunt but honest words. “My days been pretty great so far, so yeah, I’d like to talk about it.”

Brown eyes turn back to Finn and the younger mans surprised to see the wariness there under the dark red embarrassment. “You… you mean you’re not… freaked out about this?” Poe motions to himself, running tense fingers through his wet curls in an attempt to alleviate some of the nervousness running through him. 

Finn’s brow dips, shifting Poe’s bag and jacket still in his hands to hang over his arm and he steps forward, right up into Poe’s space and pulls the older man into one of the all encompassing hugs he’s learned from him. “I’m not freaked out Poe… although you look like you are.”

Poe does his best not to cling to Finn, but finds his arms winding around the other mans waist anyways, holding on tightly when Finn doesn’t flinch or make to pull away. Buries his face in the younger mans neck like he’s not expecting Finn to be as real as he was back on the tarmac in D’qar… but he is. “It’s just… it’s weird- not normal…” 

“Buddy,” Finn laughs. “I am literally an ex-stormtrooper turned Resistance fighter, you are the best pilot in this galaxy,” Poe snorts under his breath but Finn doesn’t stop speaking. Doesn’t let go of him. “And we are best friends with a scavenger turned Master Jedi who wants to put Ren’s head on a pike… normal is not exactly in our definition. This; this Panther thing… it’s pretty damn awesome.”

“Talk about your inappropriate responses to fear.” Poe laughs into Finn’s shoulder, hugging the younger man to him as tight as he can now. 

Finn shakes his head and smiles into the skin of Poe’s neck. “I learned from you, you adrenaline junkie.” He gets a hand into the wet curls at the back of Poe’s head after the older man doesn’t pull away and muses to himself as he scratches there for a moment, just testing.

“Whaddya doin?” mumbles Poe, eyes sinking closed at the feeling. He should definitely pull away now, he thinks…right?

“Just checking something…” Finn admits not stopping the ministrations. 

It takes a moment for Poe to get it and he pulls partly out of the hug to glare halfheartedly at Finn. “I don’t purr you nerf-herder.” He does, as much as a Panther can purr he’s learned, but Poe isn’t going to tell him that. Not yet.

Finn grins down at him and Poe feels his heart beat quicken, can’t help the way his eyes track down to Finn’s lips over those amazing cheek bones and then just as quickly Poe’s looking away, cheeks flushing red, but Finn reaches out to stop him before Poe can move too far.

The younger mans face is more solemn now, those endless eyes Poe has come to love watching him with a knowing look like he’s just figured out the answer to a question he’s been wondering for a while. “ This is the reason, isn’t it?”

Poe startles, swallowing thickly and he wants to turn and run but Finn’s warm gaze and even warmer hands have him pinned. “W-what?”

“Why you pull away every time… whenever I thought you might finally break that line you keep drawing and actually kiss me.” 

Shame burns hot on his cheeks and Poe flounders. “You- you noticed that?” He wants to step back, wants to transform and run as fast as he can, put some much needed distance between them; but Finn’s arm around Poes waist keeps him from moving anywhere.

“Of course I noticed Poe.” Finn shakes his head, rueful smile on his lips as he cups the side of Poes face, stubble soft and dark under his palm and Poe ducks his head against Finns shoulder. “I was waiting for you to make a move.”

“You, ah- never said anything?” Poe whispers into the fabric of Finn’s jacket.

Finn nods, that had been his mistake, but things don’t work the same in the Resistance as they did in the First Order. Also, “I thought you just needed time. After Ren. Thought maybe I was just reading the situation wrong… but Jess assured me I wasn’t.” Poe snorts a laugh and Finn brushes his thumb back and forth over the skin of his cheek. “I didn’t want to push, and I’d see you always pull away…Though to be fair though, I can’t say that this was anywhere close to the reason I was imagining as to why.”

“Not a lot of people would.” Poe sighs, and as the quiet of the evening starts to settle around them he nods his head towards the sinking suns. “Come on, we should go, we can make it back to the Falcon by nightfall if we hurry.”

Finn nods and laces his fingers through Poe’s, enjoying the sight of the red still staining the back of Poe’s neck as he does so. “So who else knows about this? I mean, clearly you can control it, but what if you transform when you fly or something? And how long have you been able to do that-”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down there buddy, one question at a time.” Poe laughs, the feeling of Finn’s easy acceptance warm in his chest even as he holds up his free hand to slow the barrage of questions. They duck under a low hanging branch without letting go of each other and Poe shrugs as they continue on. “Well, to go a bit backwards, I think I was… eight? The first time I did it. Just after my mama died. And I got it under control pretty quickly so,” He makes a swooping motion with his hand like it’s his plane. “I wasn’t too worried about turning into a Panther in my X-wing.” 

The soldier nods, trying and failing to not grin at the idea of the large black cat he saw Poe turn into, sitting in the cockpit of Black One. “The General must have been pretty surprised when you told her.” Finn muses, knows their leaders aversion to cats. 

Poe’s shoulders meet his ears as he diverts his gaze from the younger man. His next words are so quiet that Finn has to strain to hear him. “No one else knows.” 

Endlessly dark eyes regard the pilot in front of him and Finn halts them both in their tracks by way of Poe’s hand. He hauls Poe back against him once more, shivers at the warmth the pilot exudes even in the failing light. “What do you mean?”

“I mean no one else knows Finn.” Poe sighs, head finding it’s way back into the crook of Finn’s neck like a magnet. Finn just smells too good. He makes Poe feel safe in a way so few things do nowadays.

Finn frowns, “Well what about your dad, what’d he say about it?”

Poe sighs heavily, “I said ‘No one’, Finn.”

The ex-troopers jaw drops in surprise. Poe tells his dad everything… but for some reason…not this. “He’d understand.” he says quietly, has met the man only once and is as sure about that fact as he is about his own feelings for the pilot. But Poe just flinches back at Finns words and in return the younger man holds on a little tighter. “But I’ll keep solo petting privileges if you decide not to tell anyone else.”

The pilot snorts under his breath and lets his arms wrap back around Finns waist. “You do that.” Poe whispers and with a soft tug to Finn’s jacket sleeve they start moving again, arms around each others waists and their sides pressed together. 

—

They make it back to the Falcon just after nightfall, and Poe leans against the wall as the ramp closes behind him. Doesn’t think he’s ever been so thankful to see the inside of Rey’s garbage heap of a ship. 

“Ready to get off this rock?” Poe chuckles, turns to head towards the cockpit and home but the familiar feel of Finn’s fingers threadings through his has Poe smiling and looking over at the soldier. He sees the curious look Finn is giving him and asks, “What is it?”

“Can I see it again?” Finn implores. 

Poe’s jaw goes a little slack, understanding immediately what Finn’s asking but disbelieving his ears that Finn actually ‘wants’ to see it. “You- really?”

Finn nods and Poe glances around for a moment, wether he’s looking for a distraction or for any prying eyes Finn isn’t sure. “Hey, you don’t have too-“ he starts but Poe is already shaking his head.

“No… it’s okay.” The pilot smiles softly up at him. There’s a softness to Poe’s smile that has Finn’s stomach flipping with warmth and to have it directed at him is everything the ex-stromtrooper has ever dreamed of. 

“If it’s you, it’s okay.” Poe muses as he draws Finn away to the main sitting area with their clasped hands. And it really is, he thinks as they come to a stop next to the circular bench. If it’s Finn, Poe feels like everything will be okay, the man already proving that he won’t be freaked out by the fur, teeth and the claws. The pilot untangles their fingers to tug off his shirt once more and Finn raises an eyebrow at the motion, but traces Poe’s chest with a roving eye and he makes a curious sound.

Poe clears his throat sheepishly at the look and hands his shirt to Finn, muttering, “I got my head stuck once…” 

Finn would laugh if Poe hadn’t disappeared in the next second. And now that he’s watching Finn can see the faint shimmer in the air around where Poe had been standing; where the black panther is now, tail curled around its paws and ears back, sitting on top of Poe’s pants. Carefully Finn bends down, kneeling on the floor to be at eye level with Poe who regards him cautiously but doesn’t make to move away when Finn reaches out to him.

The fur is surprisingly soft beneath his fingers, it’s coarser than Poe’s natural curls, but just as amazing to touch, and Finn marvels at the way Poe tilts his head into his hand. Golden eyes peer up at him, shining bright in the limited light of the Falcon and Finn can barely stop the way his face spilts into a grin when a low rumbling echoes out of Poe’s throat when he rubs behind one of those rounded ears. 

The rumbling stops a moment later and Poe huffs indignantly, lifting a large paw to bat Finn’s away and down before the panther turns to lick at the bared skin of Finns wrist where the other mans jacket had ridden up, nosing along his palm with a cold wet nose.

Poe transforms back into a human a few moments later and he raises cautious eyes, their colour back to his normal umber, and looking at Finn like there’s nothing else in the galaxy worth bothering with. “You know, now would be a good time to kis-“

Finn’s already moving, pulling Poe forward by a hand on his cheek and the pilot makes a happy sound when he’s pulled off balance and directly into Finns lips. Poes hands land on Finn’s thighs to keep himself upright as the younger man does his level best to chase away any insecurities about Poe’s other form out of his head. 

Poe only breaks the kiss when his lungs start burning for air and he doubts he could stop smiling for anything right now.

“So, do you always turn back naked?” Finn asks with a grin and Poe’s face heats at the sultry tone. “Because I think that could come in kind of handy.”

The pilot huffs a laugh and reaches for his pants, smacking the younger man on the arm as he does so. “Oh shut up.” Poe mutters, enjoys the heat prickling along his skin when Finn doesn’t look away as they both stand up. Slips back into them with a practised ease Finn could kind of grow to hate. Unless, of course, it works in the opposite direction as well. “If you don’t quit looking at me like that we’re gonna be even later checking in to base.”

Finn grins, reaches over to lace a finger through the belt loop of the pants Poe had just put back on. Can’t help himself as he pulls Poe back towards him. “Here kitty, kitty.”

Poe’s indignant shriek echoes through the walls of the Falcon, cut off by Finn dragging him back into another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> The running gag with this fic is the title... I so badly wanted to name it "Poe-Prints"... you know, like "Paw-Prints"
> 
> ....
> 
> I'll see myself out.


End file.
